Mail received at a post office or other location is sorted or otherwise processed so that it can be directed to a desired location. To accomplish this function, sortation machines with output pockets are used to sort various mail products. Typically, the product that arrives in the output pockets of a sortation machine is removed manually and placed in movable containers, trays, or other containing devices so that it can be moved through additional sortation processes or dispatched to arrive at its intended destination. As an example, letters sorted on a Delivery Bar Code Sorter (DBCS) arrive in letter trays. An operator manually moves the letters from the trays onto a feeder load ledge to begin the sort process. Once sorted to the sorter pockets of the DBCS, an operator removes the letters from the output pockets and places them in a labeled letter tray so they can be transported to the next processing step.
More advanced sortation/feeder systems can be automated in a number of ways. Some utilize automation trays with a moveable bottom that can lift mail contents upward so that mail can be swept from the tray to another location. Unfortunately, if the automation tray is not completely filled with mail product, the mail can fall over within the automation tray. This can lead to undesirable damage of the mail product as automation equipment attempts to sweep the non-vertical mail out of the tray. Therefore, it is now recognized that a need exists for an efficient and simple to operate mechanism for controlling a position of mail within an automated mail tray.